No Roman emperor had a greater impact on the modern world than did Constantine. The reason is not simply that he converted to Christianity, but that he did so in a way that brought his subjects along after him. Indeed, this major new biography argues that Constantine's conversion is but one feature of a unique administrative style that enabled him to take control of an empire beset by internal rebellions and external threats by Persians and Goths. The vast record of Constantine's administration reveals a government careful in its exercise of power but capable of ruthless, even savage, actions. Constantine executed [or drove to suicide] his father-in-law, two brothers-in-law, his eldest son, and his once beloved wife. An unparalleled general throughout his life, planning a major assault on the Sassanian Empire in Persia even on his deathbed. Alongside the visionary who believed that his success came from the direct intervention of his God resided an aggressive warrior, a sometimes cruel partner, and an immensely shrewd ruler. These characteristics combined together in a long and remarkable career, which restored the Roman Empire to its former glory.
Beginning with his first biographer Eusebius, Constantine's image has been subject to distortion. More recent revisions include John Carroll's view of him as the intellectual ancestor of the Holocaust [Constantine's Sword] and Dan Brown's presentation of him as the man who oversaw the reshaping of Christian history [The Da Vinci Code]. In Constantine the Emperor, David Potter confronts each of these skewed and partial accounts to provide the most comprehensive, authoritative, and readable account of Constantine's extraordinary life.
Product Details
ISBN-13: 9780190231620 Publisher:Oxford University Press Publication date: 08/01/2015 Edition description: Reprint Pages: 384 Sales rank: 472,213 Product dimensions: 6.10[w] x 9.20[h] x 1.00[d]
About the Author
David Potter is Francis W. Kelsey Collegiate Professor of Greek and Roman History and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Michigan. His books include Theodora, The Victor's Crown, Emperors of Rome, and Ancient Rome: A New History.
On Oct. 28, 312—17 centuries and a couple months ago—the armies of two rival Roman emperors clashed at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge just outside Rome. One of the leaders was Constantine, and before the battle he ordered his soldiers to paint a symbol made up of the Greek characters chi and rho on their shields, assuring them that it was a sign of divine support. He and his men won, propelling Constantine toward taking control of the entire empire. To this day their victory is commemorated on the Arch of Constantine near the Colosseum.
Constantine [272-337] was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, after a moment of revelation in the campaign that culminated at the Milvian Bridge. Chi and rho are the first two letters of the Greek Christos, or Christ, although it is likely that few people at the time made the connection. Nowadays his conversion is often all that people remember about Constantine, and their attitude toward him tends to be dictated by their opinion of religion, Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular. It may then come as a surprise that neither this campaign nor any of the other civil wars he fought were motivated by religion. He openly fought for power, and he proved very good at gaining and holding on to it. In an age of brief reigns almost always ended by violence, Constantine died of natural causes after ruling for 31 years—the last 13 over all of the reunited empire. Such prolonged success was never repeated.
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Constantine [282–337] is a pivotal figure in the history of Christianity and the modern world, and as such, his legacy has been co-opted by historians and others to lend credence to their own versions of history. Potter [Greek & Roman history & classical studies, Univ. of Michigan; The Victor's Crown] carefully analyzes the historical record to help readers understand exactly what Constantine represented as an emperor in his own context. The focus of the first half of the book drifts somewhat in examining the characteristics of the emperors leading up to Constantine. With a commonsense reading of the contemporary sources, the second half examines specifically Constantine's actions and those of the individuals close to him. In particular, Potter seeks clarity about Constantine's motivations for converting to Christianity. The popular account has the emperor converting after a vision, but Potter argues that this process way underway for many years, and that Constantine's visions came out of a much older tradition of imperial dream interpretation.
VERDICT Appropriate for students and general readers interested in Roman history and early Christianity.
Why is Constantine so famous?
Who was Constantine? Constantine made Christianity the main religion of Rome, and created Constantinople, which became the most powerful city in the world. Emperor Constantine [ca A.D. 280– 337] reigned over a major transition in the Roman Empire—and much more.
Why did Constantine legalize Christianity?
Some scholars allege that his main objective was to gain unanimous approval and submission to his authority from all classes, and therefore he chose Christianity to conduct his political propaganda, believing that it was the most appropriate religion that could fit with the imperial cult.
What happened to emperor Constantine?
It was while preparing for a campaign against Persia that he fell ill at Helenopolis. When treatment failed, he made to return to Constantinople but was forced to take to his bed near Nicomedia. There, Constantine received baptism, putting off the imperial purple for the white robes of a neophyte; and he died in 337.
Is there a movie about emperor Constantine?
Constantine and the Cross [1961] - IMDb.